Behold! The most cringe-worthy, face-palming, “what were they thinking?” piece of superhero media ever to disgrace the silver screen… or rather, the Broadway stage! It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman! If you thought Zack Snyder’s Superman was a bit too emo, prepare for a musical experience that will make you question the very fabric of reality.
More than half a century before Joaquin Phoenix turned Joker into a musical masterpiece (or trainwreck, depending on your taste), Broadway decided, “Hey, let’s make Superman sing and dance!”🕺 He debuted the same year Adam West’s Batman became a pop culture phenomenon. But while Batman was all the rage, It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman crashed and burned faster than you can say “Kryptonite.” It was such a colossal failure, it made Ed Wood movies look like Oscar winners. 🏆
Now, you might think singing superheroes are just inherently cursed. (Spider-Man tried it, and all he got was a mountain of debt and a few broken bones.) But what makes this Superman show truly special is its utterly baffling pedigree and the sheer absurdity of its plot. 🤪
It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman was directed by Hal Prince, a Broadway legend who brought us such hits as Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and The Phantom of the Opera. Clearly, he was looking to diversify his portfolio with a heaping dose of camp. The composers had previously worked on Bye Bye Birdie, which explains the show’s earworm-inducing tunes that will haunt your dreams forever. 🎶
The play’s book was written by two Esquire magazine writers who had absolutely no experience writing for Broadway. But hey, who needs experience when you have a dream? A year after this disaster, they penned the screenplay for Bonnie & Clyde. Talk about a glow-up! From Superman flop to Oscar glory! 🤩
It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman didn’t exactly inspire critics to riot in the streets, demanding apologies for their initial praise. (Some critics actually liked it! Can you believe it?!) It also failed to launch a wave of superhero musicals, which is a shame, because my script for The Plastastic World of Plastic Man is pure genius.
This show wasn’t a zeitgeist-capturing snapshot of the ’60s. It was a winking send-up of comic-book tropes, where Superman battled a mad scientist and a Daily Bugle columnist who hated him because he was secretly in love with Lois Lane. Talk about a love triangle! 💔
Broadway’s Superman was played by Bob Holiday. He got to be THE Superman of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He signed autographs for kids, appeared on I’ve Got a Secret, and even did a commercial for Aqua Velva, claiming it was “cool and refreshing like a quick swim across the Atlantic.” Because nothing says “superhero” like endorsing aftershave. 🪒
There are no video recordings of the original Broadway production online (thank goodness). But in 1975, ABC turned It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman into a TV special. They upped the star power (Kenneth Mars! Lesley Ann Warren!), tweaked the script, and added singing and dancing Italian gangsters. Because why not? 🤷♀️
The film also “modernized” the show tunes for the funky 1970s, making them sound even more dated than the original recordings. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing Superman sing a disco tune while beating up bad guys, this is your jam. 🕺
Some of the film’s meta gags are reminiscent of the 1960s Batman. But a lot of the Superman musical special is just plain bonkers. The villains almost defeat Superman by making him so depressed that he tries to commit suicide. 💀 He ties an anchor to his leg and jumps off a bridge.
But don’t worry, he can’t drown because he has super-lungs! (Not a super-brain, apparently.) He then gets a pep talk from two hippies who are clear analogs for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. “There’s nothing wrong with being a freak, man, as long as you freak in the right direction!” they tell him. Profound. 🧘♀️
“Right on! Lois is in danger! I’m gonna split! Up, up, and far out!” Superman yells before soaring off into the night. Yes, that actually happens. 🚀
It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman has never gotten a full-fledged Broadway revival, but some theater companies have dared to revisit it. A 2010 production removed some of the campier elements and transposed the story to the 1930s. A few years after Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, it even played the West End in London. God save the Queen! 👑
The TV special is incredibly silly, but I love the pop art sets and Ben Day Dot design aesthetic. Superman’s big musical number slash fight scene (“Pow! Bam! Zonk!”) is a guilty pleasure. In a world where Superman is so often dour and grim, I have a soft spot for DC adaptations that are whimsical and fun. It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman is all of that. It may not be perfect, but it’s definitely… something. 🎭
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
